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  • ‘Lorne’ Exclusive Interview: Director Morgan Neville

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    Opening in theaters on April 17th is the new documentary from Oscar winning filmmaker Morgan Neville (‘Man on the Run’) called ‘Lorne’, which chronicles the life and career of ‘Saturday Night Live’ creator Lorne Michaels.

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    'Lorne' director Morgan Neville.
    ‘Lorne’ director Morgan Neville.

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with director Morgan Neville about his work on ‘Lorne’, the style of the documentary, making it funny, his unprecedented access to ‘Saturday Night Live’, the show’s darkest period, conducting the interviews, what he learned about Lorne from making the movie, and the future of the long running show.

    You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.

    Related Article: Morgan Neville Talks Paul McCartney Documentary ‘Man on the Run’

    Lorne Michaels stars in director Morgan Neville's documentary 'Lorne', a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2026 All Rights Reserved.
    Lorne Michaels stars in director Morgan Neville’s documentary ‘Lorne’, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2026 All Rights Reserved.

    Moviefone: To begin with, the film plays almost like an ‘SNL’ parody of a celebrity biopic with animated sequences and Chris Parnell’s narration. Was that what you set out to do from the beginning or did you have to pivot when you realized you might not get what you need from Lorne Michaels himself?

    Morgan Neville: I think my intent in the beginning was, I want this to be funny. I didn’t know how exactly. But beyond that, I don’t entirely have a plan about what the film is going to be. I know it had all these great ingredients. I know Lorne’s story is interesting. He’s a fascinating character who rarely does interviews or shows people into his life. I know the show is fascinating. I knew there were lots of interesting things, but I didn’t know how it would fit together. When we started shooting, what you see in the beginning of the film is my first day of shooting, where the cameras come out, and then Lorne vanishes. I felt like one of the themes of the film is basically the theme of me making the film. You go from somebody who really doesn’t seem like he wants a film made about him to somebody who has made his peace with it and is willing to give us a glimpse inside. That was my experience of making the film. So, the idea of bringing Chris Parnell in is a way of channeling ‘SNL’, but also the ‘TV Funhouse’. I mean, it’s also something that I’ve done with a lot of my films. I want the subject of the film to help me decide how to tell the story, so it feels like the telling of it is related to the subject. So, I just kept thinking, well, what is the ‘SNL’ version of a documentary about Lorne? Not to say that because it’s funny that there’s no substance there. Because one thing I’m also proud of is how the emotion sneaks into the film quietly, in a way you’re not expecting. Lorne, in the beginning, is like, “Why is this guy even here? Why is he torturing this poor crew?” But then you understand a lot more about what makes him tick and he opens in that way.

    MF: The movie is very funny. Can you set out to make a funny documentary, or is that a result of the subject you are focusing on?

    MN: I think humor is one of the great under discussed things in documentary film. I think some of my favorite documentaries are funny in different ways. That could be anything from the films that inspired me to make documentaries, like ‘Sherman’s March’, ‘Roger & Me’, and ‘The Atomic Cafe’. I mean, all the documentaries that got me excited, that are funny in different ways. Even in films I’ve made, like, ‘Best of Enemies’ or ‘Won’t you be my Neighbor?’ There are some big laughs in those films, too. But I think humor is such a great way of letting the audience exhale and open themselves up in a way if they’re laughing. They’re way more receptive to what you might want to share with them. So, I love that, and why can’t documentaries be comedies sometimes? So, this was me intentionally in the beginning saying, “I do want this to be a funny film.” Because it’s a film, most people who are going to watch it are comedy fans. I’ve seen a lot of documentaries about comedy that are really depressing. There are a lot of dark stories in comedy. But I always wanted to remember the comedy part of it, too. ‘Steve! (Martin) A Documentary in 2 Pieces’ was the first comedy documentary I did that was purely comedy, and this is the second. With both, I tried to balance the funny with some weight or gravitas at the same time.

    (L to R) Erik Kenward, Steve Higgins and Lorne Michaels in director Morgan Neville's documentary 'Lorne', a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2026 All rights reserved.
    (L to R) Erik Kenward, Steve Higgins and Lorne Michaels in director Morgan Neville’s documentary ‘Lorne’, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2026 All rights reserved.

    MF: Can you talk about the unprecedented access that you had to Lorne and ‘Saturday Night Live’ and what did you learn about him as a person from your access?

    MN: I think people think of Lorne as sitting on a throne, deciding who makes it in comedy and who doesn’t make it, and that he is just sitting there, flipping his finger, and deciding the fate of people. I think Lorne sees himself as beleaguered, in the trenches, and worrying about next week’s show and making 100 phone calls to sponsors, network people, affiliates, agents, studios, and cast members to just keep all the plates in the air. So, it’s funny that everybody thinks Lorne is just sitting pretty. I think Lorne feels like he’s just barely making it, because I asked everybody in the film, “At what point do you think Saturday Night Live became a show that was not going to disappear?” Some people said, “Well, when the show reinvented itself after 1995 with Will Ferrell and that amazing cast, or maybe after 9/11, when it became a place where people came together and mourned and laughed together for the first time.” I asked Lorne that question, and he said, “Maybe this year.” You know, fifty years in! So, I think Lorne’s the last person to pat himself on the back and feel like, job well done, we don’t have to worry anymore. I think Lorne is thinking about, “When this cast gels, where’s it going to be in two years?” He’s thinking about things like that. “Oh, this writer I have who might want to leave, maybe I can get him to work on a TV show, and I can get him a development deal.” He’s constantly pulling levers to keep everything kind of bubbling along and that’s something, People don’t see him sweat, but I think he feels like he’s in the thick of it. I think it’s maybe part of why he made the film, is for people to understand that producing is a real job. It’s not just sitting back and collecting checks. It’s a lot of invisible things that people just don’t understand.

    MF: You mention in the film that the closest Lorne came to losing control of the show was in the mid- ‘90s, which culminated in the firing of Norm MacDonald. In discussing it with Lorne, did he express any regret in how that went down and being unable to protect Norm in the same way he has protected so many ‘SNL’ performers before and after?

    MN: I don’t think so. I love Norm’s comedy. But, let’s face it, Norm was asking for it and in the funniest way possible. Norm was warned again and again and again. So, I think Norm enjoyed poking the bear, and I don’t think Norm felt like Lorne was to blame for any of that. I think the other person in that equation was Jim Downey, the legendary writer who started in season two, and was on and off the show for decades, who I interviewed in the documentary. Jim, at that time, was running ‘Weekend Update’ with Norm, and the two of them were thick as thieves, and they were the ones who were enjoying poking the bear. When Norm got fired, Jim got fired too, but Lorne quietly got Jim back the next year. I think Lorne both felt a loyalty to Jim, and really wanted to protect Jim. Norm was going to be fine. Lorne told the bosses, “Okay, I’ll let them go,” and then quietly rehired Jim, and helped Norm land his next thing. Again, it’s something that made Lorne incredibly unhappy to have to go through, but he is the king of the long game. You may lose the battles, but he always wins the war.

    John Mulaney in 'John Mulaney: Baby J' Photo: Netflix.
    John Mulaney in ‘John Mulaney: Baby J’ Photo: Netflix.

    MF: Of all the interviews you conducted, who had the most insight into Lorne and was there anyone you wanted to interview but were unable to?

    MN: I mean, the only person I really wanted to interview who said no was Dan Aykroyd, and he had said he was just talked out from doing documentary interviews, which is fine. I get it. But at the same time, for a film like this, you could interview so many people, and I interviewed even more than I normally like to. I normally don’t like to interview a ton of people for a film because I want there to be a smaller chorus of voices. But even here, I could have interviewed another fifty people for this film easily. So, I wanted people from different chapters of his life, people like Howard Shore, who he met at camp as a 14-year-old to Rosie Shuster, his first wife he met in high school who became one of the original writers on ‘Saturday Night Live’. But one of my favorites was John Mulaney because he is both, such a great talker, but also a real student of Lorne’s. They’re friends, but I think John has studied Lorne, and I think when they’re together, John constantly peppers Lorne with questions, and he’s collecting as much information about Lorne as he can. So, I think he was ready to talk. I think he loved talking about Lorne. I think we did, like, a two-hour interview, and I said, “Well, I think that’s good,” and he was like, “Well, let’s keep going.” So we went for another hour, and then when we did the round table, he said, “Oh, I want to do that.” So, I got him together with Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, and Fred Armisen. But I think Mulaney was probably the MVP of talking about Lorne.

    MF: Finally, I get the sense from the film that Lorne Michaels is ‘Saturday Night Live’ and ‘Saturday Night Live’ is Lorne Michaels, and that there is no retiring for him. He’ll leave the show when he must and it may go on for a while, but that will be the end of the show as we currently know it. What is your sense of the future of the series and how long do you think it will go on without Lorne Michaels at the helm?

    MN: I think Lorne is not going to run the show for another fifty years, but he wants it to continue, and I think it will continue, just because, for no other reason, the IP of ‘SNL’ is very valuable, and people still watch and will continue to watch. It’s one of the last places where we come together to watch things. You know, it’s like sports and ‘Saturday Night Live’. There aren’t a lot of places where we all come together to watch things. So, I think there are a lot of reasons why it will continue. I just don’t think it’ll be the same, because, in part, Lorne’s not doing it, but also because I can’t imagine it continuing to be as wasteful as it is. I mean, Lorne says that in the film. It’s made wastefully, but that’s because by being wasteful, you get to discover more things. He’s producing way more than he needs for a week. So, if you’re able to throw out a third of all your work every week and just pick the best two thirds, it makes it better. But it’s also kind of crazy to know you’re going to throw out a third of all your work every week. I also don’t think there’s one person to fill Lorne’s shoes, which are impossible to fill. But I think the thing about Lorne is he’s managing two different ways. He’s managing down, which is him with the writers and the cast, and all of that, which he’s great at. You hear all those stories of how he works with cast members. But the other part of his job is he’s managing up. So, dealing with the network people, and the sponsors, and affiliates, and studios, and all of that, in a way that is invisible, and is a very different skill than dealing with writers. So, you know, part of me feels like it would take at least two people to do his job.

    Lorne Michaels stars in director Morgan Neville's documentary 'Lorne', a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2026 All Rights Reserved.
    Lorne Michaels stars in director Morgan Neville’s documentary ‘Lorne’, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2026 All Rights Reserved.

    What is the story of ‘Lorne’?

    ‘Lorne’ is an unprecedented, behind-the-scenes glimpse at the man who built the inimitable empire of comedy, shaping television and culture for generations. The documentary features exclusive footage, archival treasures, and candid interviews with the show’s most iconic cast members and writers.

    Who appears in ‘Lorne’?

    'Lorne' opens in theaters on April 17th.
    ‘Lorne’ opens in theaters on April 17th.

    List of Morgan Neville Movies and TV Shows:

    Buy Tickets: ‘Lorne’ Movie Showtimes

    Buy Morgan Neville Movies on Amazon

     

  • Movie Review: ‘Lorne’

    Lorne Michaels stars in director Morgan Neville's documentary 'Lorne', a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2026 All Rights Reserved.
    Lorne Michaels stars in director Morgan Neville’s documentary ‘Lorne’, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2026 All Rights Reserved.

    Opening in theaters on April 17th is the new documentary ‘Lorne’, which was directed by Morgan Neville (‘Man on the Run’) and chronicles the life and career of ‘Saturday Night Live’ creator Lorne Michaels.

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    Related Article: Morgan Neville Talks Paul McCartney Documentary ‘Man on the Run’

    Initial Thoughts

    (L to R) Erik Kenward, Steve Higgins and Lorne Michaels in director Morgan Neville's documentary 'Lorne', a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2026 All rights reserved.
    (L to R) Erik Kenward, Steve Higgins and Lorne Michaels in director Morgan Neville’s documentary ‘Lorne’, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2026 All rights reserved.

    Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Morgan Neville accomplishes the near impossible by capturing the illusive Lorne Michaels in the new film ‘Lorne’. The documentary, which is very funny, is almost an ‘SNL’ parody of celebrity biopics with pitch perfect narration from alum Chris Parnell and TV Funhouse style animation.

    Neville was given unprecedented behind the scenes access to Michaels and ‘Saturday Night Live’ and lifts the curtain to show how the sausage is really made. With interviews from ‘SNL’ alum like Tina Fey, John Mulaney, Kristen Wiig and Mike Myers, the movie explores Michaels’ career, the history of the show, and how ‘SNL’ is really made.

    Story and Direction

    'Saturday Night Live's Studio 8H.
    ‘Saturday Night Live’s Studio 8H. Photo: NBC.

    Director Morgan Neville is no stranger to documenting famous people, as his last film, ‘Man on the Run’ was centered on Paul McCartney. But the opening scene of ‘Lorne’ makes one think that Neville has finally met his match in Lorne Michaels. The ‘SNL’ creator seems surprised and annoyed that he even agreed to having a documentary crew follow him around, and virtually disappears once the movie begins.

    This forces Neville to pivot quickly and results in a movie that is closer to an ‘SNL’ parody of a documentary, which makes for a very funny movie. Some of the techniques that Neville uses to offset the loss of his subject include focusing on interviews with ‘SNL’ cast and alum instead and incorporating cartoons and narration. Those choices, whether out of desperation or not, transform the film from a standard celebrity documentary to a truly funny and entertaining experience on its own terms.

    But despite his best efforts, the film eventually does breakdown Michaels’ defenses and gives an honest and in-depth look behind the curtain at the man that created a comedic industry. In fact, Neville’s access to ‘Saturday Night Live’ was astounding and gives a rare never-before-seen look at exactly how the show is really made with glimpses into the writer’s room, pitch meetings, guest meetings, rehearsals, and finally choosing the sketches for that episode.

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    In addition to chronicling how the show is made week to week, the film also goes through Michaels’ personal history, the beginnings of his career, how he created the show, ‘SNL’s ups and downs including his exit in 1980, his return in 1985, almost losing the show in the 90s, and the various cast changes, as well as his film career, which includes writing ‘Three Amigos’ and producing ‘Wayne’s World’.

    Morgan Neville is the best documentarian working today and has made some of the finest documentaries in recent years including the Oscar winning ‘20 Feet from Stardom’, ‘Won’t You Be My Neighbor?’, and ‘Man on the Run’. But ‘Lorne’ might be his best work yet, cracking the code on one of the most important figures in entertainment history.

    Celebrity Interviews

    John Mulaney and Tina Fey at Netflix's Next on Netflix event. Photo: Netflix.
    John Mulaney and Tina Fey at Netflix’s Next on Netflix event. Photo: Netflix.

    While reluctant at first, Lorne Michaels does eventually sit down for several interviews and is surprisingly open, despite his reputation for being guarded. However, his insight into his past and the inner workings of the show are delivered cryptically and in a very Lorne Michaels way. But we do get a rare look at his lakeside hideaway retreat in an undisclosed area of Maine, as well as his rigorous late-night schedule.

    You really come to understand that Michaels is a creature of habit, basically living the same schedule for fifty years, even eating at the same handful of New York restaurants and ordering the same meals for decades. People often wonder why ‘SNL’ has such a strange schedule, working late into the night and into the early morning most days. It’s because of Lorne, that’s his schedule, the show just adopted it.

    Neville assembles a fantastic group of Lorne’s friends and former ‘SNL’ cast members including Steve Martin, Paul Simon, John Mulaney, Tina Fey, Conan O’Brien, Seth Meyers, Maya Rudolph, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Chris Rock, Jimmy Fallon, and Mike Myers.

    John Mulaney had the most insight about Lorne, while Tina Fey acted like she didn’t really know him at all. But the most fascinating exchange was watching an intimate dinner between Michaels and friend Steve Martin.

    My one critique is I do wish Neville had interviewed more of the earlier cast members, as there seemed to be a focus on only cast members from the last 25 years. Where was Chevy Chase and Bill Murray? Where was Dana Carvey and Adam Sandler? What about Will Ferrell? But this may just be a result of who was available and not by design.

    Final Thoughts

    Lorne Michaels stars in director Morgan Neville's documentary 'Lorne', a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2026 All Rights Reserved.
    Lorne Michaels stars in director Morgan Neville’s documentary ‘Lorne’, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2026 All Rights Reserved.

    ‘Lorne’ is a brilliant documentary that delivers a rare look at an almost mythic figure in popular culture and gives true insight without damaging the myth. At the same time, for fans of ‘Saturday Night Live’ or comedy in general, the movie is a must see that really dissects how the series became an institution and why it is still going strong after fifty years.

    ‘Lorne’ receives a score of 90 out of 100.

    'Lorne' opens in theaters on April 17th.
    ‘Lorne’ opens in theaters on April 17th.

    What is the story of ‘Lorne’?

    ‘Lorne’ is an unprecedented, behind-the-scenes glimpse at the man who built the inimitable empire of comedy, shaping television and culture for generations. The documentary features exclusive footage, archival treasures, and candid interviews with the show’s most iconic cast members and writers.

    Who appears in ‘Lorne’?

    • Lorne Michaels as Himself
    • Tina Fey as Herself
    • Maya Rudolph as Herself
    • John Mulaney as Himself
    • Andy Samberg as Himself
    • Bill Hader as Himself
    • Fred Armisen as Himself
    • Conan O’Brien as Himself
    • Chris Rock as Himself
    • Jimmy Fallon as Himself
    • Seth Meyers as Himself
    • Kristen Wiig as Herself
    • Mike Myers as Himself
    • Steve Martin as Himself
    • Paul Simon as Himself
    'Lorne' director Morgan Neville.
    ‘Lorne’ director Morgan Neville.

    List of Morgan Neville Movies and TV Shows:

    Buy Tickets: ‘Lorne’ Movie Showtimes

    Buy Morgan Neville Movies on Amazon

     

  • ‘The Cat In The Hat’ Press With Bill Hader and Directors

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    The upcoming ‘The Cat in the Hat‘ is a new introduction to a beloved character that expands on the things we already know about him. Voiced by the talented Bill Hader, this animated theatrical feature film is an all-new, epic adventure where mischief, magic, and mayhem reign supreme.

    The film also includes the voices of Quinta Brunson (‘Abbott Elementary‘), Bowen Yang (‘Wicked‘), Xochitl Gomez (‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness‘), Matt Berry (‘What We Do In The Shadows‘), and Paula Pell (‘Summer of 69‘).

    A scene from 2026's 'The Cat in the Hat'. Photo: Warner Bros.
    A scene from 2026’s ‘The Cat in the Hat’. Photo: Warner Bros.

    Moviefone was in attendance at a virtual press conference celebrating the release of the first teaser trailer for ‘The Cat in the Hat’ featuring actor Bill Hader, Warner Bros. Pictures Animation President Bill Damaschke, and writers/directors Alessandro Carloni and Erica Rivinoja, to learn behind-the-scenes details of this new animated feature.

    Related Article: Bill Hader, Quinta Brunson and More To Voice New ‘Cat in the Hat’ Movie

    1) ‘The Cat in the Hat’ Is A Completely Original Take On The Character

    'The Cat in the Hat' Trailer Event Press Conference
    Warner Bros. Pictures Animation President Bill Damaschke. Photo: Warner Bros.

    Warner Bros. Pictures Animation President Bill Damaschke explains how ‘The Cat in the Hat’ might feature a beloved character, but it is an original take on him, which is something we have not seen before.

    Bill Damaschke: Animation’s always been a cornerstone of Warner Bros. but in this this next chapter called Warner Bros. Pictures Animation, we’re really doubling down on that commitment to original stories as well as really innovative takes on some of our beloved characters and worlds. And for ‘The Cat in the Hat’ to be our first film just seems like the perfect, perfect project because it’s actually all of those things at the same time. It’s a completely original take on a character that I think a lot of people have a connection to, but handled and brought to life by our filmmakers and by the very singular actor who plays the cat. It just comes out in a way that’s bigger, better, more amazing, and more whimsical than you could ever imagine.

    2) Bill Hader Says This Is The First Book He Remembers Reading

    (L to R) Erica Rivinoja, Alessandro Carloni, and Bill Hader attend a press conference event for 'The Cat in the Hat' trailer launch. Photo: Warner Bros.
    (L to R) Erica Rivinoja, Alessandro Carloni, and Bill Hader attend a press conference event for ‘The Cat in the Hat’ trailer launch. Photo: Warner Bros.

    Bill Hader recalls that the first books he remembers reading by himself are Dr. Suess books, and that he then read them to his kids, so he was thrilled to be a part of this story.

    Bill Hader: : Like everybody, I remember reading that book as a kid, and then reading it to my kids, and then, I’ve worked with these guys before on different projects, and I’ve known them forever, so the combination of these two and the chance to play such an iconic character? I was like, yes. The biggest thing was I’m a big reader and I think those were the first books I remember reading on my own. It’s a habit I had. I get in bed and read a book, and I started that with those books. I remember collecting them.

    3) Bill Hader Might Be Great At Improv, But Improvising Didn’t Always Work With ‘The Cat in the Hat’

    A scene from 2026's 'The Cat in the Hat'. Photo: Warner Bros.
    A scene from 2026’s ‘The Cat in the Hat’. Photo: Warner Bros.

    Bill Hader is well known for his impressions and improvising skills, but when talking about ‘The Cat in the Hat’ he admits that this was not a movie where improvising worked in the booth.

    Bill Hader: They wrote this incredibly funny script and so you didn’t have [to improvise]. Sometimes you do these things and you’re like, oh man I gotta really improvise a lot and try to make it work somehow but this was not like that. The script was lso insanely funny and then on top of that, they were like, yeah, try stuff. So there was some little improvs here and there. It was funny. I would improvise sometimes, and you could just see them go, let’s do another one. Let’s do one as written, because it would go too far off. It’s weird because they have it in their heads and I’m just reacting to the words and so you try a lot of things and but they’re very good at communicating what the scene is and here’s the emotion of it and here’s what we need to try to convey.

    4) Expect More Things Than Just Thing 1 and Thing 2

    'The Cat in the Hat' Trailer Event Press Conference
    (L to R) Erica Rivinoja, Alessandro Carloni, and Bill Hader attend a press conference event for ‘The Cat in the Hat’ trailer launch. Photo: Warner Bros.

    Thing 1 and Thing 2 are such an integrel part of the story of ‘The Cat in the Hat’. The fillmmakers did not want to say too much about them, but did confirm they will play a role in the movie and there will be more than you might expect.

    Erica Rivinoja: Well, they are not well-behaved, I will say. They are consistent with the Things that you meet in the book. And as you saw in the trailer, we have Thing 1, but we also have Thing 3, and many, many more. There’s many, many that come up. The Cat in the Hat is chaos, and the Things are extra chaos on top of that. And they’re so cute, too. So you get all that chaos from them, but you’re still like, oh, you’re cute.

    5) The New Characters All Have A Dr. Suess Asthetic

    'The Cat in the Hat' Trailer Event Press Conference
    (L to R) Erica Rivinoja, Alessandro Carloni, and Bill Hader attend a press conference event for ‘The Cat in the Hat’ trailer launch. Photo: Warner Bros.

    ‘The Cat in the Hat’ expands on the world that we all know and love, but these new characters will feel as if they perfectly fit into that world, complete with a Dr. Suess asthetic.

    Erica Rivinoja: Our art team was really amazing about using Seuss’s aesthetic and his iconic shape language and character language to really help design those. So they feel, there’s so many new characters in this movie, but they all feel like Seuss.

    Alessandro Carloni: Well, that’s the thing is that as we follow Cat at the end of the book and we discover that entertaining children and sad kids on a rainy day is his job, there’s a whole corporation. It was basically an institution to create this. And as we know, there’s Cat in a Hat, and we meet pig in a wig, yak with a pack, ox in a box, owl in a towel, goat in a coat. When you complain about the fact that, oh my god, Cat in a Hat makes such a mess, but you don’t want to get rat with a bat.

    6) Even Though It Is Rare, The Voice Cast Recorded In The Studio Together A Few Times

    (L to R) Erica Rivinoja, Alessandro Carloni, and Bill Hader attend a press conference event for 'The Cat in the Hat' trailer launch. Photo: Warner Bros.
    (L to R) Erica Rivinoja, Alessandro Carloni, and Bill Hader attend a press conference event for ‘The Cat in the Hat’ trailer launch. Photo: Warner Bros.

    In animation, it is not very common for the voice actors to record in the booth together. For ‘The Cat in the Hat’ there were times that they were able to do this, which the filmmakers believe improved perfmances.

    Alessandro Carloni: It’s a rare thing, because the thing about animation is that you don’t get to book your actors all at the same time. But we still insisted in wanting to make sure that this Bill and his character had something to play against. So Xochitl Gomez, which plays our Gabby, one of our stars, that she’s such a breath of ffresh air when she comes in the room. But when Xochitl came in, when Quinta Bronson came in, watching these masters bring the scene to life is so exciting.

    7) Voicing A Character Is More Exhausting Than You Might Think, Says Bill Hader

    'The Cat in the Hat' Trailer Event Press Conference
    (L to R) Erica Rivinoja, Alessandro Carloni, and Bill Hader attend a press conference event for ‘The Cat in the Hat’ trailer launch. Photo: Warner Bros.

    When talking about his exprience in the booth, Bill Hader says that he felt like he was in good hands with the directors, but there are still challenges when it comes to voicing animation.

    Bill Hader: People think you roll out of bed and you get to go and voice a cartoon and animate a movie, and it’s really easy. It’s actually so exhausting afterwards, because you’re essentially just screaming for four hours. And then you’re saying the same lines over and over again, and they just start to lose meaning. They’ve watched me have a full-on existential crisis in the booth. And they’re like, all right, we’re all just going to leave. Just leave me in the booth. They turn the lights off, and I just sit there. No. But that’s the only thing is I just I have to very consciously pace myself because you do just get so tired just screaming.

    8) Bill Hader Has Played The Cat in the Hat Before… On SNL

    'The Cat in the Hat' Trailer Event Press Conference
    (L to R) Erica Rivinoja, Alessandro Carloni, and Bill Hader attend a press conference event for ‘The Cat in the Hat’ trailer launch. Photo: Warner Bros.

    ‘The Cat in the Hat’ will not be the first time that Bill Hader has played this character. He actually portrayed him on ‘Saturday Night Live’. While he does love the book, and wanted to play him, that was not the reason behind the sketch.

    Bill Hader: The ‘SNL’ thing was, they didn’t write that because I love ‘Cat in the Hat’. It was more, I think, the writers were going through an issue in their marriage and decided to use the Cat in the Hat as a way of indirectly commenting to their spouse at home, I think is what was happening.

    9) ‘The Cat in the Hat’ Book Is Used As A Jumping Point

    A scene from 2026's 'The Cat in the Hat'. Photo: Warner Bros.
    A scene from 2026’s ‘The Cat in the Hat’. Photo: Warner Bros.

    The story told in ‘The Cat in the Hat’ is still tied to the book, however it is used as more of a starting point, explains Alessandro Carloni.

    Alessandro Carloni: We used the book more of a jumping point for us in the sense that the book became a question for us, which is, is this cat really just out there to have a good time for himself and making a mess, or is there more to it? We look at the book and realize that at the end of the book, the kid seems to be a little more confident with himself. Could it be that the cat is actually the greatest child psychologist? So we basically used the book as our starting point, that’s how our movie starts, and then our movie becomes an expansion on that adventure. We decided to follow the cat at the end of the book to find out where does this guy go and discover, in fact, the truth about him.

    10) Alessandro Carloni and Erica Rivinoja Embraced The Uniquness Of The Book To Create A Whimsical World

    'The Cat in the Hat' Trailer Event Press Conference
    (L to R) Erica Rivinoja, Alessandro Carloni, and Bill Hader attend a press conference event for ‘The Cat in the Hat’ trailer launch. Photo: Warner Bros.

    Alessandro Carloni explains that in ‘The Cat in the Hat’ one of Dr. Suess’ characters enters the real world and interacts with children, something that is unique to this story. They used that to their advantage while creating this animated film.

    Alessandro Carloni: The uniqueness about animation is that much like in live action, we have amazing performers creating the characters with us. But then it becomes about truly anything has to be created from scratch, which means that everything is open for us to imagine what could it look like, what could it imagine. In live action, you get a lot of stuff for free in a way. Like you shoot something, there’s a tree in the background, you get that tree for free because it’s there. You have to build a tree and shape each leaf and build everything in the world, which means that you can do anything you want, which also is daunting about what can you create. And then that’s why we end up creating movies like the one we have just created, which we’re so excited about, where we can actually get to explore fantastical, incredible worlds that we’ve never seen before. The uniqueness thing about this book, that Erica and I took advantage of is that it’s the only Seuss book where a Seussian, magical, whimsical character enters the real world to meet the children. And so we decided to try to embrace that and enhance that so that every time the cat enters from his world into the real world, and then we navigate into fantastical world, we created entirely different looks of picture, entirely different aesthetics, and entirely different animation styles. So our world in our movie is based on many, many different worlds and different aesthetics where we traverse through in our adventure.

    GICglO894wBo0e7UOq1n22

    What is the plot of ‘Cat in the Hat’?

    The Cat in the Hat (Bill Hader) attempts to cheer up a pair of siblings when they move into a new town.

    Who is in the cast of ‘Cat in the Hat’?

    • Bill Hader as the Cat in the Hat
    • Xochitl Gomez as Gabby
    • Tiago Martinez as Sebastian
    • Matt Berry as the Fish
    • America Ferrera as Gabby and Sebastian’s mother
    'The Cat in the Hat' opens in theaters on February 27th 2026. Photo: Warner Bros.
    ‘The Cat in the Hat’ opens in theaters on February 27th 2026. Photo: Warner Bros.

    List of Dr. Suess Movies and TV Specials:

    Buy Dr. Suess Movies On Amazon

  • Bill Hader to Lead New ‘The Cat in The Hat’ Movie

    Bill Hader on 'Barry.'
    Bill Hader on ‘Barry.’ Photograph by Merrick Morton/HBO.

    Preview:

    • Bill Hader is leading the voices in a new ‘Cat in the Hat’ movie.
    • Quinta Brunson and Matt Berry are almost among the cast.
    • The movie is due in theaters in March 2026.

    Dr. Seuss’ ‘The Cat in the Hat’ has something of a checkered history in movies. While the 1957 book has been successfully adapted in animated form for TV, the last time it was seen in theaters was the disastrous 2003 live-action version starring Mike Myers as the title character.

    That is probably best forgotten, but Warner Bros. Animation and the Seuss Enterprises company are hoping to change the feline’s filmic reputation via a new animated movie, which has Bill Hader leading the cast as the Cat.

    GICglO894wBo0e7UOq1n22

    What’s the story of ‘The Cat in the Hat’?

    2003's 'The Cat in the Hat.'
    2003’s ‘The Cat in the Hat.’ Photo: Universal Pictures.

    Seuss’ tome sees two kids who are left home alone by their mother who are surprised to have The Cat barge into their house. Far from screaming about Stranger Danger, they agree to his playful schemes, only for the family fish to put up a fight and order him to leave.

    But The Cat still has plenty of fun, including unleashing two identical “Things” upon the house and chaos ensues –– but once ordered to leave, he returns with a machine to clean the place up.

    Related Article: ‘Inside Out’ Unscripted: Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Mindy Kaling

    Who is in the new ‘The Cat in the Hat’ movie?

    Quinta Brunson on ABC's 'Abbott Elementary.' Photo Courtesy of ABC's YouTube Channel.
    Quinta Brunson on ABC’s ‘Abbott Elementary.’ Photo Courtesy of ABC’s YouTube Channel.

    Alongside Hader (who played a slightly less family-friendly Cat in a ‘Saturday Night Live’ sketch), the cast includes ‘Abbott Elementary’ star/creator Quinta Brunson, ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Xochitl Gomez, ‘Saturday Night Live’s Bowen Yang, Matt Berry of ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ and ‘Girls5Eva’s Paula Pell.

    Is this the first attempt at a new ‘The Cat in the Hat’ movie?

    2003's 'The Cat in the Hat.'
    2003’s ‘The Cat in the Hat.’ Photo: Universal Pictures.

    This is not the first time an animated movie based on the Cat’s chaos was considered. In 2012, following the financial success of ‘The Lorax’, Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment announced plans to produce a CGI adaptation. Rob Lieber was set to write the script, but it never came to fruition.

    Warner Bros. picked up the rights to produce a ‘Cat’ animated adventure, and Alessandro Carloni and Erica Rivinoja are writing and directing the movie. Jeff Sneider at The InSneider first reported the news of Hader’s casting.

    Here’s what Bill Damaschke, president of Warner Bros. Pictures Animation said about the new plan:

    “We are overjoyed to partner with our friends at Dr. Seuss to take audiences of all ages on an adventure into the beloved world of ‘The Cat in the Hat.’ With this incredible voice cast led by Bill Hader as the fun-loving, agent of chaos himself and our filmmakers Alessandro and Erica at the helm, we look forward to sharing this Seussian cinematic spectacle with audiences everywhere in 2026.”

    When will the new ‘The Cat in the Hat’ movie arrive in theaters?

    The movie will be released on March 6th, 2026.

    Mike Myer's in 2003's 'The Cat in the Hat.'
    Mike Myer’s in 2003’s ‘The Cat in the Hat.’ Photo: Universal Pictures.

    Other Movies Similar to ‘The Cat in the Hat’:

    Buy Dr. Suess Movies On Amazon

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  • ‘Barry’ Gets Season 3 Renewal from HBO

    ‘Barry’ Gets Season 3 Renewal from HBO

    Bill Hader in Barry
    Isabella Vosmikova/HBO

    HBO has no plans to say goodbye to “Barry” anytime soon.

    Less than two weeks after the acclaimed HBO comedy’s Season 2 premiere, the show has scored a Season 3 renewal. Amy Gravitt, executive vice president of HBO programming announced the news on Wednesday. HBO also celebrated the renewal on Twitter, writing in part, “The show must go on because it has literally been renewed.”

    “Barry” Season 1 earned multiple honors, including three Emmy Awards. The series is now in the midst of its eight-episode second season, which premiered March 31. It centers on Barry (Bill Hader), a man trying to leave contract killing behind and make a career for himself as an actor. Hader’s co-stars include Henry Winkler, Stephen Root, Sarah Goldberg, and Anthony Carrigan.

    “Barry” was created by Hader and Alec Berg, both of whom are executive producers. Aida Rodgers is a co-executive producer, Liz Saranoff is a consulting producer, and Emily Heller is a supervising producer. Julie Camino and Jason Kim are both producers, while co-producers are Duffy Boudrea and Amy Solomon.

    Now that we’re assured of a third season of “Barry,” you can enjoy Season 2 without any worries on Sundays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on HBO.

  • ‘Ralph Breaks The Internet’ Review: Disney’s Much-Anticipated Sequel Is a Wild, Unpredictable Ride

    ‘Ralph Breaks The Internet’ Review: Disney’s Much-Anticipated Sequel Is a Wild, Unpredictable Ride

    Disney

    The long-awaited sequel to “Wreck-It Ralph” is titled “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” but it’s probably more accurate to say that the internet breaks him.

    After years of gameplay in the 8-bit world of “Fix-It Felix Jr.,” the character’s first foray into the weird, wild world of the Web is as cacophonous and overwhelming as you might expect. But of the many goods and services provided at the click of a button, the most dangerous for Ralph — and the most needed — is a mirror for his own behavior. John C. Reilly and Sarah Silverman return as the anchors of this delightful digital journey, but for such a vivid and energetic look inside the internet, directors Rich Moore and Phil Johnston offer a shrewd and surprisingly unsentimental look at the dangers of focusing on just one thing in a world full of endless opportunities to connect.

    Six years after the events of the first film, Ralph (Reilly) and Vanellope (Silverman) have settled into a familiar routine — “working” in their games by day, boozing it up at Tapper’s at night. But when the Sugar Rush game breaks in the real world, Mr. Litwak (Ed O’Neill) shuts it down, forcing Vanellope and her fellow drivers to seek shelter elsewhere in the arcade. Ralph, determined to help his best friend, infiltrates Litwak’s newly acquired internet connection and the two venture into its new and overwhelming landscape in search of replacement parts. What they soon learn, however, is that even digital characters need money, and after inadvertently driving up the price of the part, they need lots of it.

    Crossing paths with J.P. Spamly (Bill Hader), who promises opportunities to score quick cash playing video games, Ralph and Vanellope start doing what they do best in other worlds — including Slaughter Race, a brutal Mad Max-like racing game where Vanellope meets her match, and possible new BFF, in Shank (Gal Gadot), its head driver. But when Ralph becomes threatened by Vanellope’s burgeoning curiosity about a world outside not just their respective games but the friendship he holds most dear, he begins to discover just how fickle the internet can be. Soon, he is forced to consider whether his insulated life of routine is protecting him from the rest of the world, or keeping him from exploring it.

    If you’ve seen a single pixel of footage from the movie in advertisements, then you know that the Disney princesses make an appearance — a sly and hilarious display of corporate synergy that sends up not only the internet’s bottomless reservoir of time-wasting crossovers, but also many of the bygone conventions applied to the studio’s animated heroines. Moore and Johnston don’t quite always fall on the right side of when to include a “real world” company like Google or Ebay and when to make one up, but the movie is most successful when it’s skewering not just the companies and properties that comprise our great electronic unifier but the method and rhythms of our interactions with it. Ralph’s efforts to generate “hearts” in exchange for cash is hysterical and sort of wonderfully depressing in its pandering desperation — he will literally do anything, no matter how shameless — but it connects the movie to some real and unflattering truths about the web, and via the title character, some of the folks who spend the most time on it.

    Specifically, Ralph has built himself a comfortable existence as Vanellope’s best friend, and just as he feels complete satisfaction from that dynamic, he expects her to feel the same way — and when she doesn’t is when the whole internet comes crashing down. The movie explicitly articulates some simple, important truths — “never read the comments” — but the more oblique ones are probably the most essential to heed, especially as Ralph’s determination to “protect” and “help” Vanellope manifests itself in increasingly unhealthy ways. Such lessons are of course relevant in electronic space where cruelty and kindness can be dished out carelessly and be dismissed (especially by the perpetrator) as intangible. They feel particularly necessary, however, and astute, in a real world where “finding one’s tribe” can lead easily to a sense of isolation — and marginalization.

    That this culminates in a literal 800-foot Ralph, constructed from a swirling mass of smaller Ralphs, chasing Vanellope unfortunately threatens to overshadow such messages. Few animated movies in recent memory, much less from the likes of Disney, seem to wholeheartedly embrace the outlandish and fully bizarre visual opportunities that premises like this one introduce, but indulging them also makes for a wild and unpredictable ride. But then again, that’s sort of the point of the whole film, certainly for Vanellope — if you knew what you were getting into, or you’d already gotten into it, why take the ride again? And of course, per Ralph, there’s also something to be said about the security, and the reassuring familiarity, of experiencing something that’s at least somewhat like something you’ve done before.

    But ultimately, that’s why as discordant and unconventional as it sometimes is, “Ralph Breaks the Internet” resonates powerfully — because in addition to having a healthy perspective about both the pluses and minuses of the web, it takes some significant virtual epiphanies and applies them to characters who feel truly human.

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  • New ‘It: Chapter 2’ Set Photos Show Pennywise and Bill Hader (Laughing?)

    New ‘It: Chapter 2’ Set Photos Show Pennywise and Bill Hader (Laughing?)

    It, Pennywise, Bill Skarsgard
    Warner Bros.

    Spoiler alert: Photos below may spoil scenes from the “It” sequel.

    Beep beep, Richie! “It: Chapter Two” production is still chugging along, preparing for its September 2019 release date — two years after the release of the first movie.

    Newly minted Emmy winner Bill Hader was recently seen on set in his role as the grown-up Richie Tozier. “Chapter 2” follows the adult Losers Club 27 years after the events of the first film, marking the return of Pennywise (Bill Skarsgard) the clown.

    Both Bills were photographed on set sharing a little moment — it looked like it was an off-camera moment, maybe just two guys goofing around between shots.

    Either way, fun times:

    https://twitter.com/AmazingGumball/status/1042622914103795713

    https://twitter.com/bestofhader/status/1042553948765249536

    Previous spoilery set photos showed the adult Losers filming together in Port Hope, Ontario, which stands in for the Derry, Maine of the novel.

    Pennywise was spotted in other recent set photos, which may look familiar to readers of Stephen King‘s novel:

    https://twitter.com/DRMovieNews/status/1036267916923207680

    Speaking of Stephen King:

    “It 2” also stars James McAvoy as Bill Denbrough, Jessica Chastain as Beverly Marsh, James Ransone as Eddie Kaspbrak, Jay Ryan as Ben Hanscom, and Isaiah Mustafa as Mike Hanlon.

    Andrés Muschietti returned to direct the sequel, which is scheduled for release in theaters on September 6th, 2019.

    [Via: MovieWeb]

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  • Watch the Hilarious ‘SNL’ Season 43 Blooper Reel

    NBC

    “Saturday Night Live” features plenty of bloopers during its live broadcasts (everyone breaking during an especially insane Kate McKinnon performance, for example), but there are lots of behind-the-scenes outtakes, too, thanks to the show’s pre-taped digital content. And thankfully, the “SNL” team saved a bunch of them from the recently-wrapped 43rd season, and packaged them into one handy, hilarious blooper reel for your viewing pleasure.

    The clip features a bunch of celebrity guest hosts (including just-announced Emmy nominees Donald Glover and Bill Hader) as well as regular cast members (fellow Emmy nominees McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Leslie Jones, and Kenan Thompson) completely flubbing lines, or just straight-up dissolving into giggles. It’s classic blooper reel stuff, and it’s all pretty wonderful.

    Some of the moments are expected (Thompson, Glover, and Chris Redd can’t stop laughing about their ridiculous chains in the “Friendos” video), others are sort of awkward (Charles Barkley really enjoys using the F-word to express frustration). One of the most prescient mistakes comes at the tail end of the clip, when Bryant accidentally says “Welcome to sh*t” instead of “Welcome to hell” while filming the pop anthem send-up about female sexual harassment. Bryant’s version of the line is pretty accurate, too.

    Watch the clip above and just try not to bust out laughing yourself.

  • The Adult Losers Club Assembles in New ‘It 2’ Cast Photo

    Warner Bros.

    The Losers Club is now officially back in session, in a new photo featuring the main adult cast of “It: Chapter 2.”

    The official “It” Twitter account debuted the behind the scenes snap on Monday, featuring the ensemble sitting around a table, Last Supper-style, reading through the sequel’s script.

    Pictured in the photo are Jessica Chastain (playing Beverly Marsh), James McAvoy (Bill Denbrough), Isaiah Mustafa (Mike Hanlon), Jay Ryan (Ben Hanscom), James Ransone (Eddie Kaspbrak), Bill Hader (Richie Tozier), and Andy Bean (Stanley Uris). Aside from those Losers, other recent additions to the cast include Teach Grant (playing Henry Bowers), Xavier Dolan (Adrian Mellon), Will Beinbrink (Tom Rogan), and Jess Weixler (Bill’s wife, Audra).

    Set 30 years after the first film, “Chapter 2” brings our heroes back to Derry, Maine to once again fight off the evil Pennywise (Bill Skarsgaard), who’s resurfaced after a long absence. “It” director (and new Academy member) Andres Muschietti is returning, as are the original kid cast in flashbacks.

    Based on what we’ve seen so far, it seems safe to say that we’ll be getting plenty of updates from the cast and crew throughout the film’s production. Stay tuned for more behind the scenes scoop as it becomes available.

    “It: Chapter 2” is due in theaters on September 6, 2019.

  • Bill Hader & Jay Pharoah Agree Justin Bieber Was Worst-Behaved ‘SNL’ Host

    “Saturday Night Live” alumni Bill Hader and Jay Pharoah just called out some musicians on their bad “SNL” behavior.

    The topic came up on “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen,” because fans only ever want to know the juicy stuff — your least favorite costars, the worst person who did this, etc. No one ever asks for positives.

    In this case, that was bad news for Justin Bieber. Here’s that part of the talk:

    Caller: “Who was the worst behaved musical guest or host during your time at ‘SNL’?”

    Bill Hader: “Everybody wants to know worsts!”

    Jay Pharoah: “We both know.”

    Bill: “It was Bieber.”

    Jay nodded.

    Andy Cohen: “You talked on [Howard] Stern about that.”

    Bill: “Yeah, Bieber was — he just was in a bad place. Maybe he’s in a better place, but back then it was rough.”

    Jay: “I saw Kanye [West] yank somebody, that was pretty hilarious.”

    Bill: “Everyone’s usually on great behavior. Everyone’s very excited and great behavior, most time it’s 100 percent. Yeah, Bieber’s the only one in my experience. I think it was just, he seemed exhausted or at the end of a rope.”

    Justin Bieber, now 24, was musical guest in 2010 and both host and musical guest in February 2013.

    During his 2013 talk on Howard Stern, Bill Hader had contrasted Justin Bieber’s behavior with another SNL host, Justin Timberlake:

    “Justin Bieber showed up with like 20 guys and every time, you know, when you’re backstage it’s very small constrictive place. And he had a guy holding a slice of pizza, he had a guy holding a Diet Coke. You’re going on stage and you’re trying to fight through all these people to get dressed.

    Timberlake it was just him, he’s a real class act that guy. He was great, and also the guy doesn’t show up with anybody. It’s just him. He’s just wandering the halls and my wife visited the show and she thought like he was one of the crew guys hanging out on the set. She was like, ‘Oh my gosh! Whoa!’ and he was like, ‘Hey, how are you?’”

    Hader wasn’t a total Hater, though. He did tell Stern that Mariah Carey probably had even more people in her entourage than Bieber. And he did have some compliments for young JB:

    “I had nice chats with him when we were doing the scenes. He was a nice guy, a nice kid. You know he was doing the scenes and trying to do the best scene he can.”

    Bill Hader just returned to “SNL” as host on March 17 to promote his new HBO show “Barry.” “Black Panther” star Chadwick Boseman will host SNL on Saturday, April 7.

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